Measure of soul (Chapter in weeks on Monday and is 900 words)
by Lighting wolf knight
Summary: Rex didn't want to be in the spotlight, but when a rebel group of Klaxo Sapiens and a new threat emerge, he must team up with a figure he hadn't seen since he was a kid. Rated T for profanity, death and violence. Doesn't follow series much. Might turn into crossover with Gurren Lagann. Chapters on every other Wednesday and is 900 words. 90 chapter story currently.
1. Rex

**Sup guys? Time for another story, this one about Darling in the Fran. Enjoy the 800-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

The Earth changed a lot over the years, the culture, the technology…

It was worth noting that the concept of warfare hadn't changed… It never would change.

That was running through the mind of a Klaxo Sapiens that was known to his group as 'Rex'.

He sighed and looked over the fields he used to walk across as a kid. There was nothing but good memories in these fields…

Now it would be brought down… Ruined, trampled by war which Rex didn't want.

"My lord?" He heard and turned to be one of the loyalists, people who still believed in the princess… One who hadn't betrayed their people to attempt to seize resources and power.

"Hmm? I was just… Thinking, I'm sorry." Rex said and turned while running a hand through his spiky blue hair.

His blazing orange eyes belayed anger and rage beneath the surface, a tiger clawing at its cage, banging on the bars to break free.

"We haven't found anything on the rebels yet… The humans are going to blame us, you know that, right?" The man asked while Rex sighed and turned to look at the loyalist soldier.

"I know… But we'd blame them if soldiers from the Humans attacked us… Even if their terrorists, we'd treat them all the same… So, what else is new? I still remember that girl… I can't remember entirely, it's weird…." Rex muttered, he turned his head to the side, deep in thought.

"My lord?" Rex heard and he turned to the soldier.

"I keep having visions of someone I met as a kid… And yet I can't remember anything of that past then… Hmm…" Rex muttered, he shook his head, there would be time for thoughts besides battle later.

"You said the rebels haven't been spotted for a while now? They must be massing for an attack… You know how strong the ones loyal to the Princess are… They wouldn't go underground like this if it wasn't for good reason, trust me…" Rex stated, the soldier sighed and looked at the ground.

"I can't believe they would go to war with us… We should be united, not divided down the middle…" The soldier said and Rex rolled his eyes.

"Yes, because rebels who clearly have different beliefs and dislike how things are now are surely going to agree with that logic…" Rex muttered before the soldier crossed his arms.

"Sir…." The soldier said as Rex sighed.

"I know we shouldn't be divided… Being divided now is horrible… But people will always think differently, that's what the rebels think… You heard their broadcast, didn't you? You really think they care about our people now? They killed 10 of our citizens in the first battle without remorse…" Rex said and he started to walk away from the rest of the plains.

"And if the Humans attack us?" The soldier asked, Rex sighed again and turned to his subordinate.

"Then we try and work things out… I can't tell you what to do, I'm a noble, a commander… Not part of the council or anything like that. I could tell you what I'd do…" Rex said before he walked away.

The soldier watched him walk away and said nothing before he looked to the side and sighed.

"I can't believe this is going to be a regular thing… Well, time to go and find something to do…" Rex stated before he sighed and rubbed at his face.

"I hate this, I really hate this… My brain hurts… I need to rest." Rex muttered while he walked around the cliff he was on. he wanted to rest, and his head continued to hurt.

"Those damn dreams… Of machines like the Klaxosaurs… What does it mean? Their clawing at my head, like teeth… Like fanged teeth… And I still can't understand what they mean… It hurts, and I don't know why…" Rex said, he laid down on a rock and continued to rub his head, wondering what would come next .

An explosion cut him off and he blinked as he turned to look at the flames and smoke and sighed and looked at the explosion.

"You have to be kidding me…." Rex muttered and went to deal with the attack, he narrowed his eyes.

Author Notes

**Phew, first chapter done! I want to point out that I don't have much knowledge on the anime. I'm surprised nobody made a crossover with Gurren Lagann. Next chapter might be a cross over with that series. Anyway, next chapter will be in a week or so and will show Ace fighting off the rebels and explain the plot. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	2. The rebels

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

From what Rex had heard on the surface, the assault mechs they sent into combat were called… 'Klaxosaurs'.

The rebels were making a play at a Magma Energy plant, a resource used by the loyalists to currently fuel their Klaxosaurs.

"This is Lieutenant Aace Raynard, all forces hold your positions, reinforcements are on their way…" Rex stated, he winced at the mention of his birth name. Rex was what he was called, it was what he was used to being call.

"The Blood Wolves? Damn it, I didn't think the Princess was sending in the wolves." He heard as his Moho class Klaxosaur leapt onto the battlefield.

"Clear them off, keep them from the extractors… I'm taking down that Igneous class." Rex ordered, a cannon attached to the top of his Moho class Klaxosaur as it took a canon blast to the face and shook.

"Carnelian, you good?" Rex asked as the mech turned to look at one of the Rebel's canons.

It dodged another blast before swinging its tail. Rex watched the canon rip from its foundation and shatter into pieces.

"An Igneous class? They brought an extractor class to an assault?" Rex heard from his second in command, Valentina 'Val' Camila.

"I don't think they expected a quick response, Val. You handle air support; Corona is the only Comet class we have right now." Rex ordered.

An Igneous class was what a bulldozer was to the Humans. They were heavily armored Rhino like mechs, they had canons where ears would be. They had 4 clusters of sensors that served as eyes for the machine. He also saw spiked like hands which could cut through Earth easily.

The 3 razor sharp horns on its face helped. It was still no match for a Moho Class which were designed for direct combat.

Just like how Comet classes, designed for air combat… And was as modified as Rex's Carnelian.

"Get to have all the fun…" Val muttered; Rex slammed into the Igneous.

It tumbled to the ground while Carnelian slammed its paw into the enemy Klaxosaur, knocking it to the ground before another canon blast hit him and allowed the Igneous to slam its horn into Carnelian who avoided permeant damage by jumping back.

"Val, I'm going to need air support if we're going to force them off…" Rex stated before he saw the Igneous was trying to escape.

He fired the canons on Carnelian's back and legs and blew the head off the Klaxosaur which collapsed into a pile of smoke and metal.

"Why was that so easy? These things are built like tanks…" Rex asked before he turned to look at the retreating rebels.

"Unless this wasn't an attack… It was a test assault… And that was one of the prototypes…" Rex said and blinked as he saw loyalist soldiers firing their rifles at fleeing rebels.

"Val, I think this was a test wave… They're going to come back sooner or later…" Rex said while Carnelian perched atop the ruined rig.

He climbed out of Carnelian and onto the top of the mech. He looked at the burning fires and wondered what the rebels wanted. They had clearly done some damage, but from the armor scans he was getting from his gear?

They had lost over 2 dozen men for only 6 loyalist soldiers. He crossed his arms as Carnelian let out a growl before he turned to look to the side.

The cheering soldiers brought a bit of a smile to his face before he sighed and climbed back into his Klaxosaur before it leapt down the cliff, using its talons to stop it's fall down the cliff.

It slammed into the ground with a massive boom and then the mech looked around as Rex climbed out of it.

"Val, you seeing anything from the sky?" Rex asked while he crossed his arms and cracked his neck and looked around again.

The fact that it had been so easy didn't surprise him, but it did show they were still up to their own tricks.

"You think we're still going to be under attack? That is so you, Lieutenant… But no, I'm not seeing anything else but retreating rebels… It's clear they're after something… But they're not committed to it… Hang on, we're getting a signal… It's from the princess… Rex, they want… She wants us to come to her to talk… It's urgent." She stated, Rex rolled his eyes inside of his armor.

"Shocker… Name one thing she doesn't want us for… We're only the best squad of Wolves the loyalists have, Val…" Rex stated, he turned and looked at the celebrating soldiers.

He got a sigh and then nothing before Rex leapt off Carnelian and landed on the ground before he brushed off his armor and looked at the Moho class Klaxosaur.

It lifted its paw and high-fives him with amusement.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out the Klaxosaurs are much different in the story as seen by the fact that Male Klaxo Sapiens aren't Magma Energy. I also want to point out battles after this will be harder and tougher. Next chapter will show Rex and Val meeting the Princess and show off the rest of the wolves. Until next Saturday or so Lighting Wolf out!**

**Ps: Zero Two will appear in 2 chapters.**


	3. The Princess

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

Rex had been in front of the Princess before; the wolves were the most elite part of the loyalist Klaxo Sapiens army.

"Lieutenant." He heard from the princess and bowed.

"Your highness." He said and heard a snicker before he turned to look at another figure inside greenish white armor.

"Nice one, Lupus. You were late to the battle and me and Val had to handle things. You as well Cadmael… Least Adamaris and Cara had good reason to not be on the battlefield." He hissed before the Princess spoke up.

"Captain, you are aware of the humans on the surface and their civilization?" The princess asked, Rex blinked.

The Apex Armor each wolf wore into battle, to protect themselves, and interface with their Klaxosaur better didn't allow much facial expression.

But the Princess saw the eyes of the helmet close and open rapidly.

"After driving off the rebels from the Magma Energy plant, it was decided you should be promoted… And with the expedition being planned…" She said and smirked, Rex decided to speak up since his squad was always allowed to speak openly.

"What expedition? Are the humans bothering us? I'll get a team mobilized and…" He started to say and the princess held up her hand.

"The humans aren't invading us at all… We're going to see them." She said and Val spoke up.

"Your highness? Not to question your ruling, but why? The humans aren't aware of the Klaxo Sapiens besides rumors and such… Why break that view now?" She asked and the princess turned to look at the elite soldier.

"The humans are sitting near massive deposits of Magma Energy, enough to run our civilization until we can find a way to create the energy on our own instead of mining it… As you are aware, we can't expand our mining of Magma Energy with the rebels endlessly attacking us and sooner or later our Klaxosaurs will run out of power… That is why I am asking Rex to lead a squad of wolves and one of our ambassadors to the surface to meet with the Humans." She said and Rex put his hands behind his back.

"I'll do it, when do we deploy?" He asked, he had joined the wolves for adventure and because he loved his country and because he was a patriot.

"Your leave within a week, I'd like to hear some progress while you're gone… The other Wolves will stay here to defend against the rebels." The princess stated, Rex bowed and with a wave of her hand, they were dismissed.

Rex turned and walked out of the throne room, he continued to try and process what was going on.

"Captain?" Val asked and he turned to look at her. She looked at the others.

"Go and start to pack, we're going to be following one of the scout paths and then dig our way out from there…" She ordered while she turned to Rex.

Neither noticed the other wolves leave before Val put her hands on her hips.

"Your confused, why? Your never confused, you usually always have a plan…" Val said and Rex sighed.

"Because the Rebels are going to ruin this, Val… They ruin everything and I… Believe my friend is on the surface, the one I hadn't seen in years if you remember…" Rex said and Val turned to look at the sky.

"We're at war, Captain… We have to do this, the rebels might not have the numbers or strength we do, but they control most of the Magma Energy down here… Plus I'm sure we're find your friend on the surface, we've found other things before." She stated and Rex crossed his arms.

"I'm not good at talking, Val, that's why I became a wolf, fighting, ripping the enemy apart and charging into the battlefield inside my Klaxosaur is how I've been doing for the past few months… Or years, I suck at time like I suck at talking diplomatically… It's why I'm a soldier and not a Klaxo Saipan lord like I was born as…" He said and rolled his eyes.

"That doesn't mean we can just give up…." Val said and Rex shook his head.

"I'm not saying we should give up at all…. We have orders… I'm saying… If she's up there… Then I'm not going to be able to handle it, she'd hate me, and I miss her… But we're go… Just don't expect me to stay in the room if she's there, she has rights to be mad." He staid and started to walk away.

"Ok then… I guess we're going to have a lot more problems once we get up to the surface…" Val started to say and Rex turned to look at her.

"Ok then, I'll stop, sorry…" Val said as she walked off.

Rex rolled his eyes and walked away, amused.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I'd like to point out that the entire series will be different because of the Klaxo Sapiens being a species and not having left Earth and all that. Next chapter will be Rex and the Wolves heading to the surface and show Rex meeting APE possibly. Until Wednesday or so. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	4. Surface

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

Rex settled into Carnelian's cockpit as the Moho class Klaxosaur continued to climb up the tunnel.

Val and her Comet Class continued to fly behind him with the diplomats sitting in a small Conrad Class which seemed like a toy compared to the bigger Klaxosaurs.

"We're be on the surface within a few minutes…. I can't believe the others are late…" Rex muttered as Carnelian's claws crushed a rock under its weight.

"They aren't late, their supposed to meet us on the surface after we get settled in…. I got them out of the way so we don't have to put up with the mission nearly failing because they do something stupid… Seriously, how did they become wolves with how they treat every mission?" Val asked, Rex chuckled as he slowly began to see sunlight.

"Nearly to the entrance of the tunnel, stand back." Rex stated as he began to charge the 'corona canon' as people called it.

He charged it for 10 seconds and then fired it, vaporizing rock and stone as light shone into the tunnel.

"Ok, let's go, we're nearly at the surface… Val, get some recon done, I'm going to escort the diplomats to the surface…" Rex ordered as he continued to move Carnelian towards the hole and the surface.

Val and her _Comet_ class soared out and onto the surface with Carnelian slowly following.

"Wow… Damn…. I didn't expect to see anything like this…" Val said as Carnelian slowly climbed out of the tunnel and then stopped with the diplomats behind them.

Rex climbed out of the cockpit and then blinked as he felt something under his boots. He looked down at the green, plant life.

"What is this?" He asked before noting a giant ball of light in the sky and held out his hand in front of his face.

"Light? And some form of plant life?" Rex asked as he tried to remember if the Klaxo Sapiens had ever gone to the surface.

He came up nearly empty, Klaxo Sapiens had never interacted with Humans before… And the few times they had gone to the surface had become nearly lost to time.

"The surface is… beautiful… And confusing, it's so different…" Val said before the Conrad Class walked up to the Wolf Captain.

"Captain, as much as all of us would love to explore, we have a mission to carry out… We should look for Humans and start to speak with their leader…" He heard from one of the diplomats before Val soared overhead.

"I think we might have them find us first… Tunneling our way to the surface is sure to make people curious and considering the fact that Klaxosaurs haven't been seen by humans besides a few myths?" Val said as Rex climbed into Carnelian's paw which raised him back to the cockpit.

"Let's get moving, we need to find the Humans and we can sight see later, the diplomats are right… I wish we didn't have a war with the rebels so we could enjoy this…" Rex stated before he turned and continued to move onward.

He continued to look at the plants and continued on his way, wondering what would come next now that they were on the surface.

"You think we're going to be able to talk to the humans? Their probably scared of us… Walking war machines… You know?" She asked while Rex sighed and looked around.

"Everyone is scared of something, Val… I know what I'm scared of, I'm not going to lie and say this isn't the perfect idea for us… But without Magma energy, the rebels will win the war and trying to launch a counterattack without Klaxosaurs? It wouldn't be worth the pain and suffering we'd be going through to try and defeat the rebels… This is safer… I'm honored to be walking the surface for peace… I just hope SHE isn't one of the people here, she'd kill me…." Rex muttered before they saw a vehicle fly overhead.

"Human? That looked Human." Val said before she followed it, Rex sighed and slowly coaxed Carnelian to follow the flying vehicle.

"Damn it, Val…" He whispered and continued to follow his second in command, they could be led into a trap, or an attack.

Or spirts forbid they scare the humans before they could talk to them, they'd ruin their mission.

"I don't know which is worse, getting into trouble… Or not knowing anything about the surface… And her still being mad at me…" He muttered as he climbed the hill and was greeted by the site of a structure, it looked like a city with dozens of Humans if he counted the specks.

He saw Vel fly over as people looked at him.

That was before he noticed one of the people looking at him… Was HER. He would never forget the pink hair.

"Oh Crap." Rex muttered.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out that the war with the Klaxo Sapiens that happened in the anime isn't going to happen… Not the same way. Also, I know how the anime ends and this will end differently. Next chapter will be on Wednesday and will show Rex meeting Zero Two and then helping the diplomats. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!**


	5. Zero Two

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

Rex had many reasons to be scared of 'Zero' as she called herself, she was a better fighter then him, she was stronger than him, she was smarter on certain things and she was well aware of what she looked like in his armor.

The glare she gave him as he slowly trudged up to the girl was worse than being hit by a mountain.

"Captain." Val stated before Rex looked at her and then turned to the soldier.

"Val, take the diplomats where they need to go… I will catch up." He ordered, Val noticed the look in the girl's eyes and nodded before walking away.

Rex almost wanted to run with them, to shrink into the smallest ball of goo. He sighed.

He removed his helmet in time to be smacked as he winced from the hit, his purplish green skin turned red and he felt coppery blood on his lip.

"Hi Oni." He winced as he rubbed the spit and pain out of his face as his body began to heal the wound, something all Klaxo Sapiens could do… At least if the wound wasn't so damaging that it couldn't regenerate the injury.

"Rex… What are you doing here?" Zero said as the wolf captain turned to look at her.

"Business for the princess, You can…. We're fighting a war and losing… Your still mad like I'd thought you'd be… Can't blame you…" He said. Zero wasn't someone who he wanted to see mad, but he had screwed up.

"You broke your promise… And you left me behind, after our argument." Zero said, Rex looked at the ground.

"I'm well aware, I told you that you'd never have to see me again… And I broke that promise… I'm here on diplomatic business… If you want, just pretend I don't exist…." He said as he slipped his helmet on, he'd rather look at the woman he had let down time and time again with his armored eyes then use his real ones.

He was good at fighting and killing, bad at being a friend.

"No… You are here for the Humans? Then I'm coming with you… I might be mad at you, but our people come first." Zero said, Rex wanted to point out that Zero looked EXACTLY like a human for some reason.

But he wouldn't question it, he'd be lucky if they could even talk like friends again.

"That other wolf and those 2 well-dressed Klaxo Sapiens are who you'd want to follow… We're looking for someone important among the humans to talk to." He said and started to walk away; they would get suspicious of why he stopped to talk to Zero if he stayed for a much longer time.

He sighed and continued to march further into the city, he looked at Carnelian. The Klaxosaur continued to march the long way around the city, trying not to cause any damage or kill anyone as Val and the diplomats turned to see why the captain had walked away from them.

"I thought I said you should go on ahead, I was busy talking to someone…." He muttered, he sighed and continued to look around as Zero caught up to them.

"Who is this?" One of the diplomats asked as he looked at Rex and Zero.

"This is… Oni, she's volunteered to take us to the humans if she's allowed to lead us… She's going to be our guide." He stated before he turned and looked at Zero who looked over the other members of the group before smirking and nodding.

"Yes, I will guide you to the human leaders, but only if your let me… I've been to the government buildings before…" Zero said, looking at Rex who tried to avoid her gaze, she didn't hate him to death, but the look in her eyes told her the talk they were just having was far from over.

"Well then, if we are to be going, we should start, the rest of the Captain's unit here is supposed to arrive after we are settled in for the day and I would like to get at least to the humans before nightfall." The man said as Rex sighed and rolled his eyes.

"We're be there as soon as we can, sir… We're not really in a position to rush things since we're on unfamiliar land… Soldiers don't explore unfamiliar land till they know what their up against and I would like to continue that tradition of waiting and being cautious if it helps things." Rex said before Carnelian roared and got the group's attention.

He rolled his eyes and turned around before continuing to wait for Zero to tell them their next move.

He saw the same mischievous streak of mischief he had seen in her as a kid in her eyes. It mad him smile under his armor at the very least.

He had no idea what the next few months would bring.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! Yes, I know Zero isn't as cold and emotionless as the series. I will explain why in a few chapters. Next chapter will also show more of Rex and Zero bonding and explain more of their past. until Monday or so, Lighting Wolf out!**


	6. A talk

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

Rex and the rest of the group emerged at the building they wanted near night fall and a nice but terrified family paid for them to stay on a hotel Zero brought them to.

Rex sat on a bed without his armor, he looked over his pistol before he heard a knock on the door. He walked over as his bare feet traced over the floor before he opened it.

Zero stood there in a white tank top and blue shorts, he blinked as she pushed him and he toppled to the ground. Zero walked into the room and Rex stared at her as she turned to look at him.

"Ow." He said, he climbed to his feet before Zero crossed her arms.

"We need to talk more…" Zero said, Rex hated how she sounded, monotone, broken. She sounded like she had been destroyed by her decision to visit the surface.

"I know your still mad at the decision for me to join the wolves, Oni… You wanted to be a wolf at one point or another…" He said while Zero looked at her feet and then sat on the bed. She crossed her legs before Rex slowly sat on the bed next to her.

"You also know you promised to come with me if I decided to go to the surface… That was our dream… To go to the surface…" She said.

"You know they needed me… You know how our people are… Did you want me to step away from the war? I don't know what I'm doing, you want me to apologize for fighting for our people? Oni… I'd do get what you want…. But you know your also mad that I didn't come to the surface… But now I'm here… And it seems like your mad here… I'd get why you hate me." He said, she glared at him, but it died out a second later.

"I don't hate you… I'm mad about a lot of things… And you never talked to me after I went to the surface… Do you know how much that hurts? I was bullied and only had a few friends… And then I get one like you…" She said, she went to grab at him and then lowered her hands.

"After this war ends, I'll gladly go with you… But the loyalists need me right now… And trust me… I can't abandon them…" He stated, he turned to look behind him and then he looked at her.

"You would have been a better wolf then me… Your smarter, your faster… You would have flown through the tests…" Rex said and Zero hummed.

"Will you be free to talk during the peace meeting?" She asked, he turned to look at her.

"I'm providing security for the diplomats but that's it… Are you still going to make me feel like garbage and I should jump off a cliff because of that?" He asked, Oni hummed again and looked around.

If Zero was anything, it was good at keeping herself and her thoughts close to her chest… Even he couldn't concern what she wanted… If Zero wanted something, she would keep it to herself.

"We're see… If the rebels are willing to go after deposits of Magma Energy…" Zero said, Rex nodded.

"The other wolves and Carnelian will watch the outside… If you want to talk, we can talk during the peace talks… soldiers aren't going to be more then security… Trust me, you'd be better than me at being a wolf, Oni… Anyway…" He said as he looked over his gear and then back to her.

"How's the surface world been for you? You've been here for a while…" Rex asked, any attempt to talk to his friend he would take… If she was willing to talk to him, he wouldn't neglect it.

"We're talk about it tomorrow… But thank you for explaining some things." Zero said, Rex turned to look at her.

"That's not a complete apology, but I'll take what I can, Oni… I know I broke the promise, but I won't break it again." He said and looked at the gear.

He picked up one of the 4 knives he had, they always had backups.

"Here, if you're going to be there and the rebels attack, you should be able to fight back… We might be stronger than Humans, but against other Klaxo Sapiens…" He muttered before he looked at Zero and then slowly looked over his pistol and put it in a holster on his leg.

"You might not be a wolf, but I know your better at hand to hand then me… Unless you want to keep talking, we're going to need rest." He said before he turned to look at her again.

"I'd really like to talk… But now isn't the time, and it makes me hate my duty right now." He said and walked towards the window.

He turned to Zero and smiled sadly.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out that Zero being monotone and such isn't entirely because of Rex. I do want to point out their history isn't supposed to make Rex a Gary sue. Next chapter will be on Sunday or so, until then, Lighting Wolf out!**


	7. The peace meeting

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

Rex continued to walk up the steps, Val and another Wolf: 'Kaiser'… He didn't know if his friend had picked up the word from the surface or not.

"Just let me do the talking, Captain… You and your men just worry about security." He heard from one of the diplomats while he continued to walk up the stairs and then stopped.

"That's what the wolves are for… Special ops, sir… Go inside, ne and my group will stay here while Val and 3 of the other wolves watch you inside." He said before the duo was walked up the stairs.

Since Val would be in the room with them, he would get the audio from her helmet as would the other wolves.

He turned to see Zero 2 walking up to him while 2 of the other wolves stepped up the stairs.

"Quite the event." Zero said, her voice still slightly monotone while Rex crossed his arms.

"I'm not a politician so I'm glad I just have to stand here and keep rebels from breaking in… You ok?" Rex asked while he saw some humans with what looked like guns.

Security soldiers he guessed, here to keep an eye on things like he guessed they would also want to keep an eye on them.

Though they should have sent more, a single Klaxo soldier would be able to kill a platoon on their own…. A wolf could rip through a company of Humans solo due to their training and experience.

"Hmm…." Zero said while the two Klaxo Sapiens stood on the steps, Rex noted she looked a lot more… Human, but decided to talk about it down the road.

No need to complicate things now, he wanted his friend back, not to start another argument which would shred any progress the duo had started to make.

"Why would the princess send wolves, Rex?" Zero asked before Rex went to speak.

That was when the hologram of the meeting started.

"Good Morning. I am sorry to have intruded… Before you ask, we have come in peace…" The hologram said while Rex rolled his eyes.

"Way to start off the meeting…" He said before he turned to Zero.

"If I knew, I'd tell you… Could be because we're on hostile turf and they need the best… Doesn't make sense to send special forces for a simple mission… But the princess doesn't make much sense, does she?" He asked before the message continued to play.

"We come from deep beneath the surface, we are a race known as 'Klaxo Sapiens.' We aren't extraterrestrials, we aren't robots, we aren't monsters… We are a species of sentient life like yourselves…. We have recently entered a civil war with our species…. And our princess who rules our glorious race, has tasked us, along with the soldiers you see here, to establish bonds with your kind…" The message said while Rex snorted.

"Can someone please tell me why this is hotwired into all of our suits? I know it's being recorded, but could it not play on all our armors?" Rex asked the other Wolves who shrugged while Zero slightly laughed.

"So, like I asked before, what have you been up to here? I don't suppose it's anything like dealing with… Well, this life…" Acer stated before he started to notice something.

"Sir, Moho Class, 2 clicks." He heard from one of the wolves, he blinked and then looked.

That was when an explosion cracked open the air and sent flaming rubble down on them.

"Damn it, spread out! What the hell hit us?" Rex asked before a hole at the base of the stairs opened and a series of Conrad Class Klaxosaurs climbed out of the hole.

"Sir, rebels!" He heard and then turned to Zero who was looking at him.

"Go and find somewhere to hide, we're deal with the rebels." Rex said before he drew his pistol and sent a wireless signal to Carnelian to join him.

"No." Zero said and Rex looked at her and knew she wouldn't leave, nothing he said would make her leave.

"Ok then… Try to draw some away from the building, those Klaxosaurs are too much for us… I'll cover you, go and draw some of them off." He said before he started firing at the Conrad classes who were joined by rebels with rifles.

He felt a shot graze his shoulder and winced before he shot the rebel in the head.

"Damn it, I knew this would happen…" He said before he ducked behind a piece of fallen rubble.

"Secure a perimeter, don't let them get inside!" Rex ordered while he shot another rebel who was busy trying to shoot Zero.

He was forced to duck as more shots skimmed his piece of cover and he sighed while he planned his next move.

He was interrupted by a Moho Class.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out this chapter was going to be longer; I wanted the fight chapter which is coming next to be longer. Next chapter will be on Friday or so and will end up showing the Wolves and Zero trying to fight off the rebel attack on the courthouse. Until then, Lighting Wolf Out! **


	8. The attack on the hall

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

**(Surface, government building)**

Rex ducked behind a piece of rubble before he shot another rebel in the chest, he turned to see another Human soldier take a shot to his chest and fall dead.

"This isn't going well!" He heard from Kaiser before he shot another rebel in the head while another explosion went off.

"Thank you corporal, I am well aware!" He yelled over the communicator before he wondered where Zero went.

"You think they know about the peace meeting?" He heard from another wolf before he shot another rebel and got grazed by a bullet which pinged off his armor.

It still stung slightly, he grunted in annoyance and then clicked a handle to reload his Phantom Pistol and grabbed one of the 4 18 round magazines the weapons had.

He clicked it into his gun and then continued to fire at the rebels before another bullet grazed his side.

"I really don't care how or why they're here, their killing Humans and their dangerous… And somebody deal with that Moho Class, we're going to be overrun if we don't kill it!" Rex yelled before another explosion knocked him backward.

"Ok… I'm going to kill something…" He muttered while he slowly climbed to his feet.

**(With Zero)**

Zero stabbed a rebel in the shoulder before pushing him to the ground.

She turned to see Rex's Moho Class crash to the ground from a slash to the face before it was able to shoot it in the face with one of its canons and knock it to the ground.

"What are you doing, Rex?" Zero asked before another rebel trained his rifle on her.

"Freeze, lady… Your under…" The man started to say before Zero flung her knife into his head.

The man crashed to the ground, gasping in pain before he died. Zero grabbed the weapon and then continued to sneak around, grabbing the man's rifle as she did so.

**(With Rex.)**

Acer watched _Carnelian _crash to the ground again before it managed to slam its tail into the enemy Moho's face.

He continued to fire his pistol into the groups of rebels before a shot hit him in the leg, this one caused him to fall to a knee.

"Damn, just damn it, that hurts…" He muttered while he rolled and grabbed a rebel's rifle before firing it.

After 3 shots, it clicked empty and Rex sighed before tossing the gun into the head of another rebel.

He stabbed the man before a grenade landed next to him and threw him down the stairs while he groaned in pain.

"Can we please…" He started to say before the rebel in front of him collapsed. Then another, and another. She saw Zero with a rifle before a flying vehicle shot the Moho class.

This allowed Carnelian to grasp its head with its paws before tugging and tearing its head from its shoulders.

Then it collapsed from the damage done to it before Rex looked at the destroyed Klaxosaurs while the rebels looked at the wreckage.

"Retreat, we're regroup with the rest of the troops and counter attack!" He heard from the rebels while Rex turned to see more Human soldiers starting to arrive.

"Sir!" He heard from another wolf as the other wolves started to arrive with their guns drawn.

"Sweep the area, make sure things are fine and someone check on _Carnelian_." Acer said while he magnetized his weapon to his armor and brushed off his hands.

He winced as his leg bleed slightly while he put his hand to it and sat down.

"They really need to make better armor on our legs… Lucky shot…" He muttered while Zero took notice of the wound.

Rex pulled off his helmet and looked around at the destruction the rebel's attack had caused and sighed in annoyance.

He turned to look at Zero who looked at him with concern for a minute or so while he looked at her.

"Thank you for helping me deal with the other rebels… I've never seen them go all out like that… I still want to know how they knew about this meeting and were able to launch an assault like this so easily on this area…." Rex said while he looked at the rest of the wolves for a second.

"I want to have the entire area swept, if there's any rebels left to interrogate, bring them here… They ruined the meeting and I want to know how this was able to happen without anyone seeing it coming." Rex ordered and got nods.

He turned back to Zero and smiled while she bent down to look at hit and his wound which slowly started to stop.

He was happy Klaxo Sapiens could hear if their wound wasn't too fatal or brutal.

"Your still as stupidly stubborn and brave as always." Zero said with a smile.

Acer chuckled in amusement.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I'm sorry this chapter is short, I wanted to show off Zero getting into combat and Rex getting hurt fighting off the enemy. Next chapter will be on Wednesday or so and will show Rex and Zero talking to the Human Leaders and show a bit of romance. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	9. Aftermath

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 1200-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

**(Surface, Hotel.)**

Rex sat on his bed and waited for the politicians to arrive, since the battle, the Klaxo Sapiens had returned to the hotel.

Rex looked at the window before the door opened, Rex didn't need to turn his head to know who was at the door.

"Hi, Oni." He said, he brushed off his shirt while his eyes looked out the window.

"Only you could bring the war to the surface…." She said while Rex sighed and turned to face Zero, who was clad in the same white shirt and black shorts she wore the first time.

"A warrior always fights, Zero… You know that… I didn't bring the rebels here… They were either following us… Or someone betrayed us… Trust me." Rex stated before he turned towards the window for a second.

"You are losing the war badly enough to be coming to the surface… Is all things so bad down back home?" Zero asked and Arthur nodded.

"There is nothing down there but violence and death… You can be mad at my choice, and you have every right to say I broke the promise… But I have to protect our home, Zero…. Going to the surface was my dream, but I won't do it if I have no home to return to…" Rex said while Zero turned and looked to the side.

"I know where my home is…" Zero said, Rex turned to the side and then sighed once more.

"You know you can still make me hurt without saying a word…" Rex said before he slowly stood up and walked to the door.

"When this is over, I was promised I could take Carnelian and leave… I am going to stay on the surface when this war ends, no matter what… If you want to slug me to the ground, do it then. I have things to handle before then." Rex said before he rubbed at his eyes and hummed before he slowly opened them.

"I don't hate you… I just want to know what I meant so little you would discard me…." He heard from Zero before he turned to look at her with wide eyes.

"Why would you possibly think that? I didn't once consider that a thing… I never ONCE considered that… How many days do you think I asked people where you were? How many people do you think I begged to find you?" Rex asked, walking towards her. He cracked his back while he walked closer.

Zero looked into the eyes of her childhood friend, her jade eyes met his blazing orange ones.

"Oni, I might suck as a friend at times, but you're crazy if you think I just threw you away like a simple toy to be played with and then thrown away. I wouldn't once stop worrying about you." He stated before he crossed his arms and loomed over her.

He sighed once more while Zero went to say something before she looked away.

"I can't blame you for everything, I've made mistakes before. I went to the surface because I didn't know what to do about the rebels… And also, because I didn't want to see you again." Zero said while Rex snorted in annoyance amusement.

"You're a better fighter then me, Zero… Who's the one who helped me knock around those meatheads who bullied us? You, who's the one who always won those fights we had as kids? You did. You're a warrior, Oni. You don't run from fights; you beat the snot out of the enemies and ended up being the better fighter between us. I've grown as a soldier and I ended up dealing with my demons, some of them at least." Rex said, huffed before he turned to turned to the side.

"You're only saying that, you're such a doofus." Zero said with a smile. Rex rolled his eyes.

"Yes, because the bruises I used to have from all the punches and kicks from you are lies… Zero, if you became a wolf? You piloted a Klaxosaur?" Rex said, Oni rolling her eyes at the name.

"The Wolves really called them 'Klaxosaurs?' That was what the humans used to call us based off one of the documents we left behind by accident." Zero said while Rex turned to the side.

"Yes, we did name them that, trust me, I laughed at that, I still know you're a better warrior then me. I have blades and guns and our armor makes us stronger than most Klaxo Sapiens, even when we're so much stronger than humans already. I still doubt I could take you in a fight with all my training and gear. I also know those damn rebels are going to come back. They know that the wolves are the center of the loyalists. We aren't going to be safe until the negotiations are done." Rex stated before Zero glared at the door before turning back to her friend.

"What will you do when your done with the negotiations?" Zero asked while Rex hummed and brought his hand to his chin.

"I'm sure we're turn back and go to the princess to report and then deal with that, I'm sure that the rebels will end up destroying themselves. The generals are the only reason I'm guessing that the rebels aren't destroyed." Rex stated before Zero huffed.

"The Princess is the one leading the war effort? She's always busy, I'm surprised that she had time to oversee the war." Rex said. Zero looked into his eyes.

"You know half the time; I don't know whether your trying to stare me today or kill me. Your plenty capable of both." Rex said, smirking and crossing his arms before Zero slugged him on the shoulder.

"Ow…" Rex said, half heartily rubbing his arm with a smile before there was another knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Rex asked.

"Sir, one of the diplomats would like to speak with you to discuss your plans for more security at the next meeting." He heard from Kaiser and sighed.

"Tell them to make sure there's 2 wolves in the room first. We're dealing with rebels; I don't want to go in there and get my head blown off by a sniper." Rex ordered before he turned back to Zero.

"We're talk later, I got to talk to the boss and then I'll come back. Trust me, I'll deal with stuff when we get back here." Rex said before he walked to the door and pointed at the bed.

"Stay here." Rex said while he sighed and then left the room.

Zero looked at the beds and sat down on the bed.

Rex looked at her and then went back to the room.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out that Rex and Zero aren't super close yet, but their going back to friends. Next time will show Rex and Zero getting closer. Next chapter will be on Friday or so and will end up showing Rex and Zero talking. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	10. Sunset

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

**(Surface, Cliffs near entrance to surface.)**

Zero laughed while Carnelian climbed with her on its head before stopping at the edge of the cliff before Rex popped out of the Klaxosaur and flipped to the ground.

"That was so cool." Zero said before Rex gagged and nearly threw up on the ground.

"I forgot the problems of piloting a Klaxosaur without the Wolf armor… Oh, I'm going to be sick for a day or so." Rex said before he slowly stood up and looked at Zero.

"So, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, you know tomorrow we're going back to the hall for another round of peace talks, right?" Rex asked while he looked around.

"Yes. I also know you brought us here to talk about the past… Like what happened before." Zero said, reclining on a rock while stretching as Rex walked past her and hummed.

"I know that we've gotten along well so far, but I know your still mad, and you have every right to be, but I know we can still work past things." He stated, he looked at the sunlight, he blinked and turned to Zero.

"I wish I had been along with you for the ride, it's a beautiful surface… And I know you think I abandoned you… Or you did until you told you otherwise." Rex said, he blinked as his eyes stared at the sun again, bringing a hand to his face while he looked around.

"I've seen a lot of war and suffering, Oni. I know I've not dealt with enough to make up for what I went through in the past… To erase what I did trading helping my friend like I did to fight for my home… But like I said, I will make things right." Rex said before he shielded his eyes and hummed.

"You worry about everyone, but you've never dealt with helping yourself, Rex. You need to learn to deal with that before you know what to do next." Zero said with a hum while Rex folded his hands behind his head.

"I can't rest that easy, Zero. I just can't, even if I wasn't a soldier, you'd know that I can't just abandon people to their fate if I can. Wolves have a duty to their pack, that's why their named wolves. I can't turn my back on anyone in need, that includes both the humans and anyone else, I just can't forgive myself if I let suffering like that happen without fighting it. You know that." Rex said before he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist.

"You are such an idiot, such a loveable idiot. I swear sometimes I wonder if you've ever been ripped apart emotionally before we met." Zero said before Rex slowly turned and opened his arms before Zero slowly hugged him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I can't understand why you would want to stay when our home was being destroyed so easily… But I can respect it, and I know you'd never willingly hurt anyone, so you wouldn't have hurt me if you could… And I'm grateful that we became such good friends, otherwise I think my mind would have shattered from stress years ago." Zero said while Rex said nothing and simply returned the gesture with a good hug.

"Trust me, I don't think I could ever hurt you and feel good about it… That came out wrong, but you know I'm not stupid or able to hate myself enough to be able to throw you under the bus like that, you should know that better than anyone that I don't hate you." Rex said. Zero looked at the sunrise and then back to Rex.

"I think we should stay here and watch the sunset, at least until it's night, that would be better and allow us cover to get back to the hotel… Which you snuck us out of." Zero said with amusement while Rex leaned against his friend and turned to look at the ground.

"You know just because you're my friend doesn't mean that wasn't a bad thing to say, you know that I did that so we could talk and because I felt like it, not because I wanted to come here." Rex lied which prompted Zero to kick him in the side.

"I hate liars, you know that, Rex, we're deal with that later, just relax and watch the sunrise, you haven't seen it before, you're going to want to see it, it's worth it in every way." Zero said before Rex sighed and gave into her commands to look around while he chuckled with amusement.

Rex leaned down to look down at the people, the city, he wondered what would become of the surface, of his own world and decided he didn't want to know at the moment.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I wanted to show Zero and Rex bonding, they are going to not get close fast, but they still will grow close. I do also want to point out I might make a story for 001. Next chapter is going to be on Monday or so and will show the second peace talks with the humans. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	11. The new meeting

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

**(Surface, Town Hall.)**

Rex sat on the top of a statue before he turned to look at Zero. He continued to keep an eye out, all ideas pointed to the fact that someone had sold them out.

He didn't know who or why, but they had been betrayed.

"Why would a loyalist betray us for the rebels? Money? No, anything the rebels could off them financially would equal to what the princess pays… What about power? Hmm, tempting, but I doubt the rebels need anyone else pulling their strings…" Rex muttered before he flipped to the ground, it cracked under the weight of his armor.

"I hear the talks are going well, but that they're going to have to ask an upper government to work things out." He heard and turned to look at his men.

"An 'upper government?' I…. why? What is the surface world lost that it would need a second form of government?" He asked.

Dealing with another form of government meant more talking and paperwork that would only aggravate the process of securing help for his people… He was a warrior, he didn't sit around and let the battle come to him. he fought, he sacrificed, and he survived.

"Yeah, I heard they have to talk to their ruler first… Then when he's done, he'll make a choice." He heard from the Wolf and huffed.

"That's just lovely… That's all we need at the moment, more obstacles in the way of our goal of helping our people." Rex muttered before he heard someone clear their throat.

"Do you always expect things to be solved by violence, Rex?" He heard when he turned back to look at Zero.

"No, but I expect this to be over with soon hopefully, the more we stand here waiting for them to get back… I want to keep fighting the rebels until the war is done… Then my duty will be gone… And I will choose to follow my own path." Rex stated before he turned and started to pace on the stairs.

"Yeah, this silence is kind of uncomfortable, I don't like dealing with this type of 'wait around and let other people talk.' Thing, we're soldiers and we're playing babysitter to people who haven't even stepped foot on a battlefield? Nah, that doesn't sit well with me… It just feels like we're a meet shield for all the people who don't know what war is like." He heard from a Wolf with a spiky helmet that reminded him of a raven.

"Hmm." Rex said and he turned away from the soldier and back to Zero.

"I could care less what their talking about. I care about the fact that I'm here, doing nothing, when there's a war going on." Rex muttered. Zero smirked and turned away as Rex rolled his eyes.

"Sure, ask me a question then turn away when I go to answer it for you, Oni… Nice one." Rex muttered before he turned away with annoyance.

Rex didn't care much for battle, he enjoyed fighting, but killing? That was a necessity that only came from the threat of extinction, or if it meant defending something that needed to be protected.

"I don't really care." Zero stated before Rex tapped her on the head and she huffed before he continued to tap her on the head in amusement.

"Stop." Zero stated while Rex continued tapping her on the head.

"No, you want to annoy me, I'll annoy you, this is amusing me and I enjoy doing it, so I will keep doing it." Rex said in amusement and mockery of her usually dull voice that he knew she used to hide her emotions… And to mess with him.

Zero sighed and allowed it, Rex was always playful around her, he had been that way since they were children.

"So… Where are you going next after this little trip? You both going to find that other government that you need for the treaty and talk to them?" Zero asked and Rex sighed but nodded.

"Yes, to do that… I wish we didn't have to, but if we want any hope of the treaty going through, it will be to speak to another branch of leadership and convince them to let us have access to their Magma Energy…" Rex said before wondering why they had bothered to make the trip in the first place.

"So, I guess I'm going to watch over your dorks until we get done dealing with this." Zero stated before she hummed and Rex sighed before he nodded and knew Zero didn't want to deal with the issue.

Rex hummed in annoyance and sighed in frustration. He rolled his eyes once more and he walked around

"When we're done here, please someone get me, I'm going to relax and sit on the statue again until we're going to head out." Rex stated and turned back to the statue.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out that I'm going to reveal the villain next time and show more of Rex and Zero bonding. Until next Friday or so. Lighting Wolf out!**

**Ps: 001 might get a story soon, but I don't know when and if, I will put up an update message for that. **


	12. Heading out

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

**(Rebel Cavern.)**

"How am I supposed to sabotage the negotiations if you are driven off by a few loyalist soldiers?" The masked figure asked the rows of rebel soldiers as one spoke up.

"Omega, we're sorry, sir… But we're fighting wolves, we don't have the firepower to just kill them all… We need more information." One of the rebels stated before the monitor shut off and the rows of rebels sighed.

Their leader had just spoken and if the diplomatic party found out he was among them? They'd have lost this war already before it got a chance to tip in their favor.

**(Hotel, Surface.)**

Rex chuckled and leaned back in his seat.

"Ok, now your just being ridiculous, there is no way you managed to steal all that candy from that store." Rex said while Zero continued to gobble up the candy while Rex turned to look at the other wolves.

"Are we going to end up moving out soon?" Rex heard from Kaiser and sighed.

"Yes, we are going to leave soon. We can't stay here; we need to go to the central force for the diplomatic party to work up here. You know how this works, its like all of work." Rex stated before Zero stopped eating.

"Yes, because talking is the same as shooting and killing." Zero stated as Rex turned back to her.

"Hey, if we weren't paid, you wouldn't have gotten that candy and we'd be in a jail cell from what I've heard. I don't think that helps us make peace with the humans in order for us to get an edge on the rebels." Rex stated before he got up and looked at the other wolves.

"If we're all done here, I think we might want to go within the next hour." Rex stated before he turned to Zero.

"You make sure the money we have doesn't run out, it isn't like we're funded on human money, we're going through a lot of things here… Money isn't really one of those things I'd like to go through." Rex joked as Zero blew a raspberry at him.

Rex rolled his eyes and smiled before he got to his feet and he hummed and looked around for a moment before he started walking outside the café in the hotel.

Rex rubbed at his eyes; he still wasn't used to the sunlight around him. He had spent so long underground; sunlight was both a gift and a curse to him.

"Rex, how is your mission going so far?" Rex heard from his communicator on his hip as he grabbed it.

"Things are going slowly up here." Rex stated before he cleared his throat and began to speak more clearly.

"We've been ambushed at the first meeting, some of us think we have a leak. They knew just when to hit us and hit us with everything we have." Rex stated before the Princess started to speak up.

"Well, I didn't imagine things are going to be perfect, but their good from what I've heard so far. We've not heard much from the rebels; they've pulled back from the rest of their outer bases." The Princess stated before Rex sighed.

"That doesn't at all sound like rebel tactics, their up to something. You don't think their planning to come to the surface in number, do you? We might not have the numbers in our group, but to risk open war with the Humans? They'd shred themselves like fruit in a blender." Rex said and turned to look at Zero.

"I've found Oni up here." Rex stated, the princess was silent a moment before she started to speak up again.

"Well, if she knows more about the humans, then I'm glad she's there. We're dealing with a lot of things down here. My scientists are digging for more Magma Energy, but it's scarce, we're send reinforcements up when we can. You have your mission, captain. I'm counting on you to get it done and get home, this is the last mission I ask of you… Then we can go home, and we're be free with your help." Rex heard from the princess and he sighed.

"We're get things done, your majesty. I just want to end this by saying that we're not miracle workers, we can't move the sky and the stars… And I don't think any of us wolves want to try it." Rex stated before he hummed and clicked off the communicator and turned to walk away,

He cracked his neck and he sighed.

"We're going to have some more work to do until we go down back to home." Rex muttered before he turned to look around one last time.

He had a lot more work to do before the week was done, and yet he didn't know if he or Zero were truly ready for that.

He blinked.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out that Rex is going to deal with the traitors and the rebels, I don't know if the villains for the series will be in it. Next chapter will be on next Sunday or so and will show Rex and Zero traveling towards the capital. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	13. The trail

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

**(Loyalist convoy, enroute to capital.)**

Zero Two sat in a hatch on _Carnelian_ while Rex sat in the cockpit of the Moho class-Klaxosaur while it continued to march towards the destination.

While the talks were on hold until they reached the capital, they were allowed to refuel their Klaxosaurs.

"So boring…" Zero stated, Rex turned towards her and sighed and rubbed at his face before his mask resealed.

"Yep, I'll agree with that… Ugh, I wish the capital wasn't so far away, it isn't like we can just airlift our convoy to the capital, but still…" Rex muttered while he kicked back into his seat. Zero started to walk along the lumbering Klaxosaur's back.

Rex didn't notice that she was walking over the mech before she was poking him in the back and he hummed and turned to look at her.

"You're going to fall off the back of her if you keep walking all over her back." He said and turned back towards the controls.

"Shouldn't we take a break? We've been walking since this morning; it's been 2 or 3 hours." She asked, poking into Rex's back. He was too bored and too amused with her antics to remove her.

He also didn't want her to topple off Carnelian's back, even if she could handle the fall, it didn't mean he wanted to put her at risk. He cracked his neck and turned back to her.

"I hate this too, Oni… But I can't really do very much…. We're take a break in 10 minutes, trust me… You can sit here if you want. My back is killing me, these suits aren't very well made for the mechs… Least not for super extended use." He hummed and then he sighed and tapped in a few commands after looking into her eyes.

"Screw it, I'm done for now, I'm getting off the pack. I'm going to have us set up camp." He stated while Zero patted him on the head playfully.

"Captain?" He heard and patted the controls before he keyed in the communicator.

"I'm calling a stop to this; we're set up camp. We've been marching nonstop; I'd rather not end up getting tired and passing out now and not falling asleep tonight." He said and turned to a smirking Zero who slid down the side of the Klaxosaur with grace.

"Damn it, Oni." He muttered and slid down the mech to the ground while it slowly started to grind to a halt. He looked into the sky at the clouds and then turned to the pilots.

"We're rest up for a few hours then keep going till midnight and sleep." Rex said, not used to being in his armor for so long. He turned and patted his holster.

"You good?" Rex asked Zero who nodded and he walked forward while Carnelian's claws started to dig into the ground, making a place to sit and put a fire.

"You've been becoming a lot peppier such and all that, you sure your good?" Rex asked again, he turned to a tree and brought out his knife while he slowly started to peel the bark off it.

He was dragging it towards a ditch to put in and ended up sitting on a downed tree.

"Ok, everyone rests up, in 2-3 hours, we're going to start marching up again, I don't want you running off. You go somewhere, you tell me." Rex put in. Zero sat on another tree while he pulled off his helmet and placed it next to him while pushing a clawed hand through his hand.

The other wolves started to set up camp while he cleared his throat.

"This is going to be a very long day." He said. Zero tapped her fingers together while she continued to mess around with things like the sticks around her feet.

"Feeling the heat?" Zero asked and Rex turned to look at her.

"We live around lava and such, no. I'm bored, there's nothing in the world I can't handle, I'm wondering what to deal with next, you know? We're dealing with the war; we're dealing with rebels. We have to go to talks with humans. I know that we're dealing with this for the greater good, but I'm getting a headache from this, I'm not a politician, I'm a soldier, besides, your just in this to have fun and get a rise out of things." He said and Zero shrugged before climbing onto the tree while he looked at her and chuckled and smiled.

"You're a bigger doofus then I am." He's stated and he cracked his neck and turned while he closed his eyes and closed his eyes, he stretched and got up while walking forward.

Zero looked at him and then flipped onto the branch, she slowly walked over the branch towards Rex.

Rex turned back towards her with amusement clearly in his eyes. He laughed.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out that Zero and Rex are slowly are going to be growing closer to each other. Next chapter will be on next Sunday or so and will show more of Zero and Rex bonding and their trip to the capital. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!**


	14. Relaxation

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

**(Loyalist convoy, enroute to capital.)**

Rex poked at the fire while he looked into it. He took off his helmet and set it aside while warming his hands.

He looked at Zero who was quiet. He sighed and crossed his legs under him while he looked into the fire under him.

"Well… I'm planning on taking bets that tomorrow we get ambushed and we all die." Rex said, Zero hummed.

"I doubt their stupid enough to risk another attack when we're like this." She stated, Rex hummed and looked to the side with amusement.

"Maybe, but with the week we've been having? I really doubt that anything is impossible… They were bold enough to attack us at the city hall and you still didn't run." He said, Zero shrugged.

"I'm not scared of them. We've seen rebels since the government started being form… A lot of people were not fond of the princess." She said, Rex tapped his hands on his knees. He looked around and pointed at Zero.

"I know you liked her, you wanted to be a Wolf. You know why we called them that? We saw wolves when we settled here a few hundred years ago and studied them. They were brave, fearless, leaders, hunters." He stated, Zero nodded.

"Yes, and I had to babysit you when we were kids. You tried to stand up for me and all that did was get you in trouble. You tried to be the hero and ended up being the idiot." She said, picking up a strawberry and starting to eat it.

Both Klaxosapiens looked at each other and smiled while Rex drank milk that he had gotten from the humans.

"You always had to be the sarcastic one, Oni. You know how many times you drove people up the wall? You always made people angry. I might have been too stupid to pick fights I couldn't handle… I could at least handle the heat…" He said. Zero snorted and finished her food while she kicked at Rex's arm.

He caught her foot and pushed her back lightly.

"I know your tricks, I'm well aware of what happened when you ran off… We were both hungry." He muttered and looked around. Zero nodded and leaned back on her log before she turned back towards Rex who shrugged.

"We both do stupid things. I've done a lot more then you did. I don't want to think being your friend was one of them… We were brats as kids." He said, tipping his cup and continuing to drink. Zero kicked her feet up.

"We were orphans and you know it. I never saw your parents and you never come back to the fact." She stated while she began to eat candy.

"I didn't know any better. I didn't know much at all as a kid. You know that." He muttered, he turned back to his drink while Carnelian snorted.

"I don't want to hear it from you! You got issued to me in my first year of training and we've never gotten along! You're as stubborn as her." He said and smiled before Zero kicked him in the face before he pried her booted foot off his face and threw it backwards.

Zero gasped as her boot flew over towards the Klaxosaur. She placed her socked foot on the ground.

"Don't kick me if you don't want that to happen… You always used to kick me, you always used to eat… It was funny when I saw you eat a bug that you thought was a piece of candy." He stated and hummed. Zero while he turned to the side he turned to the back where the rest of the soldiers were asleep.

Zero sat next to him while he got up and went to grab her shoe before Rex while he put the boot next to her. He sighed before Zero turned back toward him and grabbed the shoe and then grabbed it from him and put it next to her.

"Do you really plan to retire from the military when you're done? You've wanted to be in the military for years." Zero said, Rex hummed and waved his arm back and forth.

He sighed and brought a hand up to his eyes and then rested his hand on his chin while he sighed.

"I'd not like to serve the military until I'm too old to serve in it. I'm tired and I have no interest in serving in the military at the moment if I can't explore the surface… So yeah, but let's forget that and go back towards work." He hummed while he sighed and smiled with amusement.

Both turned to each other and playfully slugged each other in the shoulder. Rex smiled while he turned back to the sunset at the moment unaware of what would happen tomorrow.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I'm sorry for the chapter being short, I'm still thinking what to do. Next chapter will be on Saturday or so and will show Rex and Zero arriving at the capital and then meeting the council. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!**

**Ps: I do not know if I will be making the 001 story at the moment. I will set up a poll for stories.**


	15. Cadon

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

**(Capital city of Cadon.)**

Rex dropped out of his Klaxosaur before he looked around. He brushed off his armor and walked through the city. He blinked.

"I wonder what to do now… I doubt the council will make it easy to talk to them." He muttered, he cracked his neck and then his arms while he continued walking through the crowd.

"You know Cadon is a very big city and they have dozens of soldiers, right?" He heard from behind him and turned to look at where he had heard the words.

Rex saw Zero walk up to him and he crossed his arms while she walked right up to him. He chuckled and then rolled his eyes before he turned back to where he could see the city hall… Or was it something else?

"I know this place has a lot of soldiers; we've ended up getting here by the middle of the day. I'm sure we're going to be running into a lot of soldiers." He stated, he put his hands on his hips. He yawned slightly before he stomped his foot on the ground and then began to pace back and forth.

He wondered where the others were, they were going to find out more about communications and then contact the queen to make sure they were ready for the next part of the plan.

He sighed and continued his walk forward; he was much too tired to really care about what he would do next. He had a lot of bigger problems to deal with at the moment.

He was unaware there was a lot more rebels hunting him. he had no idea that the rebels had already caught up to him and were planning and plotting his death.

He did know he needed to make sure that the path to finding out where and when the council was. He wanted to get back to the war. He didn't know he would be away from the frontlines long enough for him to miss the sleeping in the barracks and the constant roar of battle.

He hated war, but he understood war. He was a soldier; he was very good at what he did. He fought, he lied, he stole, he killed, he spied… He did what the kingdom needed him to do.

He was a damn good soldier, even if he didn't want to fight in the war. He got some good out of it, training, friends. A giant mech?

He could be happier with nothing, but he got to meet Zero again because of that.

"You know what we're going to do next, huh?" He heard while he walked toward the hall, he turned to see Zero right next to him. She looked at him in confusion before he shrugged and then he turned back to what he was thinking about at the moment.

"We're going to have to wait. I doubt we're going to get an audience with anyone today. We showed up, we're going to be monitored by enough guards to make the queen feel jealous. I don't envy her at this rate." He stated, he patted his rifle and made sure that it was at the ready.

"So, you don't know what's going to happen?" She asked, he shrugged and then he started pacing again. He hummed and smiled before he danced on his heels at the moment.

"I don't know what we're going to do at the moment. I do know talking about it really isn't going to fix anything. We have to be willing to wait… I hate waiting." He muttered before he sighed and then he slowly sat on a bench.

He was very much surprised when the bench didn't shatter under his weight. He sighed and began to wait. He was joined by Zero in a few seconds.

"Your well aware that talking to me isn't really going to do anything, right?" He heard from Zero, he shrugged and then cracked his knuckles.

"You know I really don't care, right? I think we have a lot of bigger issues on our mind to think about, you know that, right?" He asked. Zero rolled his eyes and then she said nothing.

He chuckled at her who did nothing but sight before start laughing, finding humor in the situation at the moment. They both looked around.

"I didn't even know what we would deal with at the moment." He cracked his legs and sighed while rubbing his arms. He hummed and then he sat up. He slowly turned to look to the side.

He said nothing before both started walking again, they had a lot on their minds. They didn't care, they would get done what they could get done. they would leave the rest to people who didn't do anything else at the moment.

Both had a new sense of purpose.

Author Notes

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out all the small chapters from now on are 900 words and all chapters important and such are 1500 words. Next chapter will be on next Sunday or next, next Tuesday and will show both Zero and Rex bonding at their next hotel and show the bad guys planning to attack them. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	16. Bonding Time

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

**(Capital city of Cadon.)**

Rex put his helmet next to him while he peeled off his armor. He brushed off his armor while he sighed and rubbed at his eyes.

"I wonder how the others are doing." He stated while he sighed and started to peel off his armor and slowly started to put his armor away. He hummed and then cracked his knuckles before the door was knocked on.

"It's open." He said, he wondered how his Klaxosaur was doing. He couldn't even begin to guess how, when, where and why the war mech was.

He was shaken from his thoughts by Zero walking into the room. She walked up to him and sat on the other bed.

"You always pick the rooms with 2 beds?" Zero asked, Rex turned and looked at her with a shrug.

"I'm usually not given a choice, oni. I'm dealing with a mission… One I don't want to deal with. I'm not going to keep bringing it up." He stated, Rex was well aware that the entire city didn't like them, he had the hotels paid for by humans. He knew the humans didn't like to pay out of their own pocket.

He had no concept of their currency, the Klaxosapiens had only focused on the humans for as long as there was data to gather. He had spied on them before, but he was a soldier, he had taken an oath.

He rubbed at his eyes again and sat up to see Zero in his face.

"GAH!" Rex yelled while he rolled away from the grinning girl.

"You can kill dozens of rebels, but I scare you? I didn't think you'd remain a chicken for as long as you'd live." Zero said, wiggling her toes in the air as the special forces officer looked at her.

"I'm not the one who pranks everyone, oni. You always have to push my buttons. You always have to keep cutting till something breaks." He muttered, he sat on the bed in front of her.

"You're the one who's too serious at times. You were willing to let me do something fun, but you like to hide what you are behind your title and rank and all that crap. You're not some super commando. You're a troublemaking prankster who does nothing but improvise his way through life and never takes anything back, it's why I always liked to hang out with you so much." Zero said, Rex rolled his eyes.

"You act like people don't grow up with time," He stated. Zero leaned closer to him.

"You don't change… And sure, as hell people like us don't change. I don't mean to seem like the crazy guy… but you never find fighting fun? You never get your blood pumping when you get into a tense fight, always wondering if the next moment would be your last? You never wonder about fighting and taking out the enemy? I know you like fighting, you always use to try and wrestle with me. You never got tired of it, even when I was winning, Rex." She said, pushing her finger into his chest while Rex grabbed at her hand.

Her smile didn't fade, it grew if anything, daring him to do something that she could use against him.

He hated her smirk, it always came before she would press one of his buttons, she would drive him up a wall and then back off and lap up the humiliation, the blush and stuttering.

"You always have to make a game out of everything. Zero, I swear if you were…" He started to say before realizing Zero was messing with him, she wanted him to try and push her back. Zero wanted to bite back at him and the only way she could do it is if he pushed at her, gave her a reason to fight back.

He sighed and turned away from her, she rolled her eyes and looked at her nails.

"You can't hide what you are from me, Rex. You can try and bury what you are over and over and over and over… But I'll find it, and I'll cut it loose, because if I can do that? I get to see the real you." Zero said before looking away from Rex, he rolled his eyes and looked at the roof, anything to avoid her smile.

"You act like I don't grow up, oni. I grow up because I can't stay a kid my entire life. I want to be like that kid, but I really can't do that if it means I have to let people die to do so." He stated, zero rolled her eyes.

"Who says you can't be both?" She asked, he could say nothing in reply, unsure what to say.

He focused only on getting things done so he could go home and then retire from his own past.

**Author Notes**

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to apologize for the long update time, I haven't been able to get to all of my stories. Next chapter will be in 2 weeks or so and will show Zero and Rex bonding more and talking to the council as well as some of their past. until Sunday, Lighting Wolf out!**

**Ps: I am making a Dragon Ball Gine or Android 21 story, let me know which one along with the next assassin creed story.**


	17. Second talk

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

**(Capital city of Cadon.)**

Rex marched towards the capital building before taking up a position around the staircase, he hummed and cracked his neck.

"You're sure that we're be done in 3 days?" He asked, he heard nothing at the moment.

"This reminds me of how you used to make sure I was able to get away with thieving." Zero stated, Rex hummed and cracked his neck before he walked backwards and leaned against the wall while human soldiers marched past him.

"That was a lot different from now, Oni, and you know it. You didn't have to distract armed guards and keep with the tricks over and over." He stated before he inclined his head slightly before he sat on a ledge.

"Perhaps, but you act like I was the only one who enjoyed those tricks." Zero smiled, Rex hummed and then tapped the wall before he heard a communication ding over his helmet.

"We've gotten security ready; we don't see anything else." He heard from one of his men, he brought a hand to his helmet.

"Make sure we're secure all over the building. I don't want to deal with the rest of the rebels in the area. We still haven't cleared out the last known location they were in." Rex said. He crossed his arms before rubbing at dirt on his helmet.

"We've not gotten any intel from the rest of the army. I don't want more ambushes like the last time." He ordered. Zero walked closer to him and he hummed once more.

"You know you don't always have to be so… Forget it, ive beaten that into the ground. Rex, do you ever time to relax and shed that make time for yourself." Zero asked, Rex looked to the side before he turned to look into the eyes of the girl.

He sighed and then put his weapon back onto his spine mounted stealth for the weapon. He slowly tapped the side of his helmet with annoyance.

"I'd do it if we didn't have a mission to do… I didn't have a mission to do. I have to keep my mind on the ball, we already had an ambush go on. I'm not going to let them get the drop on us a second time," Rex stated. Zero rolled her eyes with annoyance but said nothing at the prospect that he was dealing with rebels.

He heard another message before he tapped his helmet.

"What do you mean their done? I just got us set up down here, that couldn't have been all the talk was." He said, he got a reply a second later while Zero smiled.

"Yes, they are, they're going to stay here and said we could reconvene tomorrow. They wanted to go to a certain location where we'd give information to the human soldiers on the next meeting." He heard from another wolf and he sighed and turned to his men.

"I'm going to sleep until tomorrow when we get back… Ugh, we were here for all of 30 minutes and I'm dealing with a lot more crap then just this. I don't get paid enough for this; I don't want to deal with this." He stated, he cracked his knuckles before he started to march towards the hotel. He had nothing to say at the moment. He watched Zero follow him like a puppy.

He rolled his eyes and smiled, it wasn't that he couldn't hang out with Zero, it was that he was too tired and too annoyed, too focused on his mission to go and deal with playing with her.

He sighed and slowly began to bring his arm up to his face, he typed in a command and hummed when he saw the code to bring his Klaxosaur to him was received. He would just have to wait until tomorrow to get back to work.

He needed to do some recon and figure out who was behind all of this. He wanted to know who was the one who caused the ambush. Rex unslung his rifle and made sure it was set to full auto before he continued to wade towards home.

He said nothing, he needed answers.

"I'm going to go with you." Zero stated, he blinked and turned to look at her, he said nothing but nodded.

Talking Zero down was close to impossible, he didn't care at the moment, he wanted to know who was behind the ambush and if that meant dragging her along?

He'd do it, he had too much to protect to deal with objects like arguments and such standing in the way.

"Fine, just make sure not to blow the cover we have. I want to end this today and get it over with, ok?" He asked, he got no argument and that was the end of it.

He cracked his legs and broke into a sprint. Zero was right behind him the second he was sprinting.

**Author Notes**

**Phew, another chapter done! I apologize for this chapter being short, this story is going to be 80 or so chapters. Next chapter will show more romance and Zero and Rex hunting for more rebels. Until 3 or 4 weeks later on Sunday or so, Lighting Wolf out!**


	18. Sniper

**Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Measure of Soul. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own DITF, Code:000, Cloverworks, Trigger and a few others do.**

**(Capital city of Cadon.)**

"These stars are nice, weren't they?" Rex asked before he stopped Carnelian and climbed out of the mech.

"Weren't? They're still nice, why would that change?" Zero asked before she dropped down next to him.

"Because I want to point out I have gotten used to them after a while. They were beautiful the first time I saw them, but now? I don't know, I'm just not seeing what is." Rex looked around and hummed.

He would be done sooner or later. They would get human help within a few days and they could return to the underground and he'd be able to get to war and retire then.

"You've never changed." She said. Rex opened his rifle and then set up a sniper position. He tapped Carnelian who spit up a Conrad Klaxosaur.

"Zal, sweep the flank. We're dealing with…" He checked his scope and laid down before continuing to speak.

"Over 2 dozen hostiles." Rex stated. Zero rolled her eyes while Rex prepared to fire on one of the rebels.

"Why not just call them bad guys? You always have to sound uptight." She walked until she sat down on a rock before he fired a single shot.

The rebel fell to the ground. Rex missed another shot and cursed before he saw the rebel turn towards him before he scored a burst of plasma that ripped through the chest of the soldier.

"I wish I didn't have to call them anything. They're our own people and yet their trying to destroy the government for stupid reasons. I get not enough food or water, but dislike over the current ruler? I can't support protesting that, and I can't support the violence." He stated. Zero frowned and out of the corner of his eye he saw something.

A Gutenberg Class. A siege weapons? What the hell did the rebels need a Klaxosaur used to attack fortified cities? They didn't have a single base above ground which would mandate it's use.

"But have you ever considered what you wanted from life?" He turned to Zero and shook his head while he looked around.

"I…" Rex didn't have an answer. He knew Zero was never going to like that he had chosen to become a part of the military.

He was a super elite commando; she could be one of them… Though Zero never enjoyed taking orders from others. She would always surpass him. Zero would knock him around, trip him up. He remembered when she playfully peppered him with kisses and then mud. Rex had never gotten back at her and it would always have been brought up before they parted.

"You should know, because you always like to say you had no choice to join the wolves… We could have run away. You didn't have to join the stupid wolves." She said. Rex sniped another soldier before trying to keep an eye on the Gutenberg class.

"We already made our choices, Oni. I want our people to be at peace and I could have put my skills to use. I wanted to make a difference, ok?" Rex got a communication from Zal before he leaned back against a rock and laid his rifle to the side.

"Can we please not argue at this moment? I really don't want to have this talk right now." Rex wasn't wrong. The captain knew the soldiers fighting for the government were outgunned. They were outnumbered and they were short staffed.

Without human support? They wouldn't have the Magma Energy to continue their advances. He wouldn't have a government to return to. Rex didn't enjoy all of his job. He liked hanging out with Zero. She was sneaky and snarky and they got into trouble.

"No." She said. Zal came in over the communicator before he tapped it and got a message from Zal.

"We got a problem. This doesn't look like a small outpost; it looks like an invasion force. I think the rebels are preparing for a full invasion of the surface." Zero crossed her arms.

"The hell? We need to return to the capital then. I'm trying to think of another move though. The rebels are going to attack all of us again… Ugh, this place is going to be destroyed. I want to know once and for all who their going after us." Rex muttered; he didn't know how the Rebels kept tracking them with a traitor.

They needed to figure out who the rebel commander/spy was and kill them. Rex knew they were going to be beaten to the ground military wise if they weren't able to talk them down or destroy their entire structure.

He grunted and went to climb back into Carnelian. They would return back to the village and deal with them when they arrived at the city. They could defend the city better from a fortified position.

And it was then he realized why they had a Gutenberg class Klaxosaur.

**Author Notes**

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out that I'm going to make next chapter longer. I want to point out the romance and chapters are going to be short since I'm not sure how to do it yet. until 2 weeks or so on Sunday and will show the rebels attacking. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


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